FOR a whole week there was scarcely anything else thought about but
the rehearsals of the little play, which was to be given the day after
the races.
The La Balues, the Juzencourts, and Madame de Nezel, came to Bracieux
nearly every day, and M. de Clagny also, for he was very much
interested in the rehearsals. He acted as prompter when Giraud, who
had undertaken this post, was occupied, and he appeared to be
delighted whenever he saw Bijou acting.
"Old Dubuisson" and M. Spiegel had been to dinner several times, and
Denyse, under the pretext of letting him be more with his _fiancee_,
had persuaded the young professor to take a minor role, in which he
was execrable. Perhaps Jeanne had noticed this, as the last few days
she seemed to be low-spirited, and she was not as even-tempered as
usual. Her father was astonished to see her frequently with tears in
her eyes, and for no apparent motive, so that at last he declared
that "she must be sickening for some illness or another."
The Rueilles had not left Bracieux. Bertrade felt that everyone was
against her, as it were, and had resigned herself to the inevitable;
she had quite given up the plan she had proposed, and was now letting
herself drift along, carried forward by the society whirl in which she
was living.
Young Bernes arrived one evening to invite the marchioness and her
guests to a paper-chase which was being organised by his regiment. He,
himself, was to be hare, and all kinds of obstacles were being put up;
there had never been so fine a paper-chase run in the forest.
Bijou at once persuaded her grandmother to allow her to follow on
horseback, M. de Rueille and Jean de Blaye both answering for it that
nothing should happen to her. She was, besides, very prudent, like
most people who are accustomed to riding, and who ride well, and she
always managed to avoid accidents, and not to run useless risks.
Madame de Bracieux kept Hubert to dinner, and in the evening, as she
watched Denyse talking to him, she said to Bertrade:
"It's very odd. It seems to me that Bijou is not at all the same now
with that young man. She used to just give him an indifferent sort of
bow, and then leave him alone, and now it seems almost as though she
were 'gone' on him, to use your elegant language. She has quite
changed her attitude towards him," continued the marchioness, puzzled.
"And he, too, has quite changed his attitude towards her," said Madame
de Rueille.
"Yes, hasn't he? The first few times he came to Bracieux, I was struck
with his coolness towards our sweet girl, whom everyone adores. He was
just simply polite to her, and that was all."
"At present, he is not very far gone, but there is considerable
progress; he is preparing to follow in the pathway which has been
beaten out by others."
"Just lately, when you were talking to me about Bijou getting married,
had you any idea in the background?" asked the marchioness, looking at
Madame de Rueille.
Bertrade repeated the question without replying to it.
"An idea in the background?"
"Yes. Were you, for instance, thinking that Bijou was in love with
this young Bernes?"
"I told you that same day, grandmamma, that it is my belief Bijou is
not in love, never has been in love, and never will be in love with
anyone."
"If you had said that, as you say it now, I should most certainly have
protested. It would be impossible, in my opinion, to be more
absolutely and completely mistaken than you are. Never to love
anyone?--Bijou!--when there never was anyone who needed to be loved
and petted as she does."
"She needs to be loved and petted--yes, I grant that; but she always
requires people to love and pet her, and she does not feel the need of
loving and petting others in her turn."
"In other words, she is selfish and cold-hearted?" questioned the
marchioness, her voice suddenly taking a harsh tone. "The fact is,
Bertrade, you have a grudge against Bijou, because of the charm there
is about her: you are angry with her, because no one can resist being
fascinated by her, and instead of blaming Paul, who is the real
culprit, you accuse the poor child in this cruel way."
"I do not accuse Bijou any more than I do Paul, grandmamma: and I
should be all the less likely to accuse them, because I do not think
that we are exactly free agents in such matters; yes, I know that you
will be scandalised at my saying such a thing--I can see that very
well. You think it is blasphemy, don't you? And yet, Heaven knows that
the thoughts which come to me sometimes on this subject make me much
more tolerant and indulgent towards others--"